This week Schools on the Frontlines host Carl Cohn turns his focus to one of California’s least populous counties, Mono County in the Eastern Sierras. There are only two small school districts in the county — Mammoth Unified and Eastern Sierra Unified — with a combined enrollment of about 1,600 students. In the sprawling county, that is less than one student per square mile. Carl speaks with Mono County’s Superintendent of Schools Stacey Adler about the challenges of educating children in such a dispersed community. Here’s one surprise: because of its geography and economy the county was already quite prepared to offer distance learning when the pandemic hit last spring
With fifty years of service as a counselor, teacher, district superintendent, State Board of Education member, and executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, Cohn brings a deep understanding of the challenges school districts face as they regroup and reopen in the fall.
Check out EdSource’s award-winning series on rural education here.
For more information about Mono County’s two school districts please see:
- Mono County Office of Education homepage
- Eastern Sierra Unified School District profile on Ed-Data
- Mammoth Unified School District profile on Ed-Data